Rugby Union: Play the season in New Zealand

Overview

Home to the Haka and the famous All Blacks, nowhere says rugby quite like New Zealand! With our season long programme, you’ll experience the buzz of rugby Kiwi style. You’ll play for a local rugby club and spend the season enjoying some fierce rugby and laid back fun.

Recommended for:

Living in New Zealand all season long

Improving your game at a Kiwi club

Exploring the wonders of New Zealand

Boosting your CV with a part time job

At a glance:

Hand picked Kiwi rugby club

Regular matches, training & social events

Shared accommodation

Staff support throughout your stay

Sporting adventures

Our Play the Season programme allows you to spend 6 months living, working and playing rugby in New Zealand. With so much time you’ll become fully integrated into overseas life and be able to explore the natural beauty and wonders of New Zealand.

You have the chance to live in an amazing city where our centrally located accommodation puts you at the heart of the action.

Playing Rugby in New Zealand

We work with a wide range of rugby clubs in New Zealand. They all offer a warm welcome and superb facilities, so whatever your standard you’ll fit in perfectly!

Top teams at each club play in the highest provincial leagues, whereas lower level teams are focused more on having fun.

Matches and training

You’ll train 2-3 times a week with matches played at the weekends. Clubs have lots of pitches and most teams’ matches will kick off at 3pm. Everyone then gathers in the clubhouse afterwards for post-match drinks. Most participants will play Colts rugby. The Colts competitions are taken seriously by the clubs and offer an excellent standard of rugby. If you play for your club’s Colts First team, you’ll play with and against New Zealand’s top schoolboy players, some of whom are part of Super 15 academies.

Off the pitch

With so many members, your club will be a hive of social activity. There’ll be drinks after training and matches, plus social events throughout the season. Many clubs also arrange pre-season tours - a great chance to get to know your team mates whilst exploring a new part of New Zealand.

Rugby development

Our clubs are selected for their high quality coaching and facilities, helping you to return home as a much-improved player.

…and finally

New Zealand’s a beautiful country, famous for its rugby, so what are you waiting for?

Working Overseas

Sport Lived will help you attain part time work to enhance your CV and boosting your bank balance. Working overseas will help you meet new people and provide more structure to your time away.

Top tips for getting work:

Plan the type of work you'd like to obtain

Gain relevant work experience

Prepare a CV and have two references

Be proactive

Employment options:

Café/bar work: sociable environment

Office work: good rates of pay

Coaching: fulfilling and well paid

Work experience: boost your CV

Working in New Zealand

You’ll be living close to lots of employment options like offices, shops, bars and restaurants. Your sport club may also help you to find coaching work, whilst your mentor will provide guidance on working in New Zealand

Career Enhancing Experiences

Your Sport Lived adventure is the perfect time to get work experience and demonstrate the skills that universities and future employers look for - your Sport Lived work experience will help set you apart.

Independence & initiative

Sport Lived will provide loads of help when you're looking for part-time work but ultimately it's down to you to get out there and make it happen. Showing a prospective employer that you've managed to find, secure and maintain a job in an overseas country is highly impressive.

Teamwork

Teamwork is at the heart of the Sport Lived experience. Living, playing and training alongside a new group of friends is a great way to develop strong social skills and show that you're a real team player.

Personal development

Joining a new sports club, living in an overseas city and securing a job are exciting challenges that will enable you to grow as an individual, leaving you ready to tackle whatever lies ahead after your Sport Lived experience.

Work experience

Living overseas is a great time to think about gaining invaluable work experience in a field you're considering as a career. Sport Lived participants have volunteered in hospitals, law firms and newspaper offices. Such work demonstrates commitment and initiative.

Social Life

Making the most of your time away

Travelling to the other side of the world to play sport is a truly once in a lifetime experience. So all Sport Lived programmes are designed to make sure that both your sporting life, and your social life, are as action packed and exciting as possible. That’s why you’ll always get…

Social events with Sport Lived

The cities you can visit with Sport Lived are some of the most exciting and welcoming on the planet, and there always seems to be something interesting going on. So to help you make the most of your time away, our local staff organise social events like trips to top sporting occasions, surfing lessons, welcome dinners and loads more besides. They’ll also try to assist you get tickets to events you want to watch while you're away, and give you expert advice on the best things to see and do in the city.

Membership of a local sports club

One of the best things about travelling with Sport Lived is that we arrange for you to join a local sports club. We handpick clubs with lots of members and different teams - some of whom have regular social events. Some clubs may offer preseason tours, and in the past some clubs have organised welcome events for new players. Trust us, you’ll feel like an old hand within a few days and the other members will make sure there’s never a dull moment!

A great place to stay in the centre of town

We offer programmes in some fantastic cities, and we know that to make the most of your time away, you need to be right in the centre of the action. So we make sure that your accommodation is in the heart of the city - just a short walk away from all the best cafes, restaurants, bars, shops and pretty much anything else you’ll ever need.

Like minded flatmates

Having a few friends to share your experiences with is a huge part of any foreign trip – they make the whole experience loads easier and loads more fun. So you’ll always share your swish city centre accommodation with other Sport Lived participants - that way you’ll have a ready-made group of friends from the minute you step off the plane!

FAQs

1. What type of visa do I need?

New Zealand Working Holiday Visa

If you would like to obtain paid work during your programme you will need to obtain a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa. UK citizens aged 18-30 are eligible for a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa which enables holders to live and work in New Zealand for up to 12 months. It costs around £150 and can take up to 4 weeks to process so we recommend getting the paperwork sorted well in advance of your departure.

Visitor’s Permit

If you don’t plan to find paid employment in New Zealand and have a British passport you do not need to apply for a tourist visa as you’ll be eligible for a visitor’s permit which covers you for up to six months. The visitor's permit is granted on arrival in New Zealand. For more information see the Travel & Visa section in the About Us area of our site.

2. What is the standard like?

Sport Lived offer programmes for players and athletes of all abilities. Therefore, whether you play at a high standard or not, a Sport Lived programme is perfect for you. A desire to play the sport you love in a spectacular new country is all you will need!

Standard Accommodation

Choose our Standard Accommodation in New Zealand and you will live right in the centre of a fantastic city at one of the best hostels. Your pad is close to public transport which makes it easy to get to your sports clubs for training and matches. It's location also gives you the chance to try out all the bars, clubs and restaurants in and around the city.

At a glance:

Accommodation in hostels & lodges

Choice between 4 bed shared room or a single room

City centre location

Communal lounge and kitchen

Your place in New Zealand...

You can share a dorm room with other Sport Lived participants or choose to stay in a single room. You'll enjoy good facilities including web access, comfortable communal areas and fully equipped kitchens. By living in a hostel you'll also get to meet travellers from around the world.

NB: Illustrative accommodation pictures.

Dunedin

Situated on New Zealand’s picturesque South Island, Dunedin is home to all of our programmes in the country and blends all the ingredients for an amazing adventure. Despite being the second largest city on island, Dunedin has a compact centre and laid-back atmosphere. It’s packed with beautiful Victorian buildings, it has the oldest university in the country and you’ll find plenty of pubs, clubs and restaurants in which to unwind.

Dunedin is a gateway to all the attractions this part of the world is famous for, including long sandy beaches, ski resorts and world-class vineyards.

As for sport, there’s an abundance of heritage here, with the Otago Highlanders being one of the most successful union teams in the country. Not to be overshadowed, Otago’s hockey and cricket teams also excel.

Social Events✓ Regular overseas social events e.g. surfing trips and tickets to great sporting events*✓ Social events with your sports club
*The social events arranged for our participants are dependent upon the length and time of their programme. Our participants are informed of these social events during their programme. ​